Some mornings we want to stay under the blankets because we feel warm and cozy on a truly cold morning. We feel happy and content to enjoy the warmth and do our best to ignore the list of things to do. There are those mornings for many whom, despite the warmth of the blankets, the world seems cold and makes the bed and blankets a magnet to cling to. When those mornings occur over and over due to feelings of overwhelm, hurt, fear, or trauma it can feel like an inescapable magnet.

We are wired for survival and occasionally for our health we need that extra rest that comes from the comfy bed and warm blankets. However, when our survival requires us to throw off the blankets and release ourselves from the bed and discard the image and weight of a cold world, it may require us to find some tools for assistance.

Five Minutes at a Time

Addiction recovery groups use the phrase One Day at a Time as a mindset for conquering cravings and retraining mindset. When the weight of the world keeps us from throwing off the covers, that phrase can seem to only increase the weight. The phrase for breaking free of the morning darkness is Five Minutes at a Time. Just conquering life five minutes at a time can be less daunting. Usually it only takes about fifteen minutes (three of those five-minute pushes) to get to thinking more about the next hour, the next few hours, and then the day.

The first five minutes might be to just sit up, put our feet on the floor and stand up. The next five minutes might be to walk to the bathroom and empty the bladder. The next five minutes might be to brush our teeth and wash our face. Then the next five minutes. . .and so on, until we find ourselves thinking about the next hour, etc. and able to plan our day.

The Five Senses

There is a way to make the five minutes easier and enable us to throw off that weight of the world more quickly. When we involve as many of the five senses as we can in conquering our motivation and passion, the faster, we can feel empowered.

The Sense of Smell

Our sense of smell can influence our mindset without us even realizing it. Much of smelling happens under the radar of our consciousness. Unlike our other senses, the olfactory nerves feed information from the nose to the brain to arouse emotions and memories without our awareness. This is why for some, the aroma of the coffee coming from the coffee maker causes an emotion to wake up, get up, and go pour the coffee.

We can use the power of aroma to release the weight of the blankets and the world. Breathing in the aroma of essential oils within the first five minutes of the morning can lift our mood without much effort. It is as simple as having a bottle of an essential oil on our bedstand and taking off the lid to take in a deep smell from the bottle. Or, while sitting on the side of the bed we can put a drop of the oil in the palm of a hand, rub the hands together, cup them up to the nose and breath in. Before we have identified the smell, the neurotransmitters of the brain are shifting our thoughts. Involving this one sense may be all we need to think beyond the five minutes!

The Power of Sight

As we lie under the warmth of the blankets and ponder the weight of the world, we have no doubt imagined all types of images. “The sense of sight generates perhaps the strongest, most powerfully bewildering illusion of solidity, continu­ity, and permanence. . .There are also biological reasons to consider, as there are many more neurons devoted to visual processing than to touch and hearing, taking up much more of the brain’s cortex.” (newharbinger.com)

Taking five minutes to visually mediate before throwing off the covers is a powerful tool to changing our perception of how our day will go. For five minutes, or even two, we can envision ourselves facing the challenge of the day and winning! This type of meditation can even lead to some inspiration in solving a problem.

There are some common happy places for each of us from being around our family, walking in the woods, to strolling a beach. Finding a picture that uplifts and inspires us and putting it in a frame next to your bed or on a wall where we see it upon walking can, through imagery, create happy thoughts. Those first five minutes are vitalized by even one to two minutes of positive imagery.

The Response to Sound

Often when feeling the weight of the world, we put into place selective hearing and we become sensitive to even certain words. Hearing is powerful because it enables us to communicate with each other. We can use sound to flip our thoughts, raise our energy, and calm our anxious feelings. “Numerous scientific and psychological studies have shown that music can lift our moods, combat depression, improve blood flow in ways similar to statins, lower levels of stress-related hormones such as cortisol, and ease pain.” (udiscovermusic.com)

Creating a playlist of favorite, motivating, or calming music on our phone and turning that on as we step into the bathroom can be all we need to flip our heavy thoughts.

The Power of Touch

We may be living in a time when touch deprivation is at an all-time high. The skin contains pressure receptor sites and research shows that when we stimulate these pressure receptors in the skin, we lower stress hormones. Research also shows that touch is the best way to comfort and console.

A simple way to lower our stress hormones as we push ourselves to start the day or if we need to console ourselves to what lays ahead is to trigger these pressure receptor sites by applying some lotion to our hands making sure we are touching each area of our hands while applying pressure to areas that seem to soothe. This practice can be enhanced by adding a drop of a favorite essential oil to the lotion.

Taste

The study of neurogastronomy is just emerging but already we know that the taste and texture of food and drink effects our emotions. Perhaps, this is just one more reason someone finds a cup of coffee or tea in the morning a boost to the day.

When we wake in the morning our body wakes up naturally dehydrated. The effects of dehydration can be a long discussion. Drinking a glass of water upon waking will revitalize our bodies and help fuel the brain. We need the brain engaged to help us leave the warm blankets and the darkness of the thoughts that may be surrounding us. By placing a glass of water next to our bed at night, we don’t have to do more than sit up in bed to drink it and within minutes our bodies will lose some of the sluggish feeling and mood.

Conclusion

We all feel the tug of the warm blankets and cold temperatures but many of us can feel weighed down with the feelings of living in darkness and cold. Those feelings can come from stress, hurt, fear or trauma. Implementing simple tools that may utilize practice of a glass of water, uplifting and invigorating music, the aroma of essential oils, the massage of our hands, and/or pictures of happy places can be simple things that can have us feeling lighter and braver. Remember, we can do it Five Minutes at a Time.

To order essential oils: bit.ly/pjdoterra

Schedule a free consultation to talk about improving your life or business: pj@pjhanks.com

about

PJ Hanks

PJ Hanks has spent over 40 years in businesses helping women find hope, discover solutions, and achieve goals. She has a wealth of experience with various tools, proven techniques, and love to help her clients find success in all areas of their lives. As a Bastyr trained aromatherapist, a certified holistic health coach, and a successful business leader, PJ assists her clients to become their best selves.

PJ has been a successful entrepreneur for 30+ years and believes that when your emotional and physical wellness is good, your business and work-life are thriving, and you are working on yourself personally you can feel as though you can cope with all the rest of life.

PJ lives in Carnation, WA with her husband and has three adult children and loves being a grandmother to two darling twin granddaughters. She enjoys crafting, being with family and friends, and traveling. She loves to have deep conversations and to help others find hope and joy!

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